50/50 Film Review

Review by Matthew Fong on http://advancescreenings.com/2011/08/review-5050/



Adam is a 27 year young guy who doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink and recycles. He even waits at the cross walk when nobody else is on the road. How could a good guy like that be diagnosed with cancer? 50/50 is a dark comedy with a ridiculously well-balanced blend of both comedy and drama…you can almost say it’s 50/50. Don’t get scared away by the subject matter; it is serious, but it’s not all depressing. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does an incredible job depicting a range of emotions and states that his character must go through. Director Jonathan Levine doesn’t shy away from anything associated with this terminal illness and pulls at every heart string you have. I loved it.



Don’t worry, I didn’t spoil the movie, you find out Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has cancer quite early in the film. The whole movie is watching him cope with it. But cancer isn’t the only thing he has to cope with, he has to deal with his relationship with girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard), his overprotective mom (Anjelica Huston), selfish best bud Kyle (Seth Rogen) and talks with a newbie psychiatrist Dr. McKay (Anna Kendrick) who is training to get her doctorates. It’s fascinating to see Adam’s transition as he goes through chemotherapy treatment and how people…treat him. The story is pretty straightforward but keeps you engaged the whole way. Keep your tissues close.



The entire cast does an outstanding job in this picture but Joseph Gordon-Levitt is stellar. He plays Adam as a calm, collected young adult who seems to be in disbelief. How would you react if you were told you had cancer? Even though you’re seeing almost the entire movie through his perspective, you can really never tell what is actually going on in his head. The few emotional outbursts that he does have throughout the film remind you of how great an actor Gordon-Levitt is and how consistent he is from scene to scene. The make-up department also deserves a shout out because you could see Adam’s image deteriorate as the story continues. If you’ve ever experienced cancer first hand, it will be startling how realistic it feels.



You may be reminded of the movie Funny People which Seth Rogen also stars in. Funny enough, Rogen pretty much plays the same exact character – the friend to the guy with cancer. To me, this was classic Seth Rogen and he killed it once again…he’s hilarious! Rogen’s character, Kyle, is a slightly obnoxious guy who only thinks of himself. He hates Adam’s girlfriend and just wants to get high or laid all the time. Who can play that part better than Seth Rogen? Anna Kendrick plays the 24 year-old psychiatrist straight out of school who tries to comfort Adam through therapy sessions. She’s completely textbook and foolishly tries to use her medical teachings on Adam. She’s naive and cute and I loved her as well. Adam also interacts with other cancer patients one of which is Philip Baker Hall who gives yet another great performance. They swap stories, advice and weed cookies.



50/50 is an excellent movie and is not to be missed. If you think you’re going to cry in this movie, you will. It has some seriously emotional scenes but at the same time, has very uplifting and comical parts too. Whenever I thought they were going to take the movie in one direction, they switched it up so it wasn’t too heavy or too light. What resulted was a beautiful mix of emotions. You can’t help but empathize with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character, he was just an everyday you or me who suddenly met face to face with a life-changing dilemma. The film perfectly portrayed the seriousness of the issue while offering a real perspective that walked the line of funny and heartfelt. It’s not a 50/50 question of whether you’re going to like it or not…you will.